Japan Dan

Every now and again we run into a guy called Japan Dan.  Sometimes our circle of friends overlaps.  French has always had a grudging respect for him, but they have had some heated arguments over the years.  They once almost came to blows over who was a better guitarist Eddie Van Halen or Neil Young. Another time Japan Dan got us (snuck us) into an exclusive party at a club. French refers to him as a "cool guy".  Every time they meet they shake hands in a really formal way.

Japan Dan is also a really talented guitar player, chef, and photographer.  French and I saw him a few times last year when some mutual friends were playing some shows, so we've had the chance to reconnect, to a degree, after many years.  His latest project is a really cool time lapse video of Ottawa (Ontario, Canada).  Dan also wrote, performed, and mixed the song that accompanies the video.

Dan dedicated the film to his parents.  His parents gave me my first teaching job at Redeemer Christian High School; I'm sure they're proud.

Check it out friends: 

Home Again

Guitar Wisdom

French hasn't worked in a couple of weeks.   He always has a few irons in the fire, but the supply teaching calls have really dried up.  To keep busy he has been listening to every single song from Neil Young.  French says that he is trying to complete the perfect Neil Young play list.  There are over 400 Neil Young songs on his iPod.  Currently he is focusing on the Crazy Horse albums. We have tickets for the upcoming Ottawa show in a three weeks.  The playlist should be ready by then.

Along with this venture he has watched all of the seasons of Breaking Bad, Madmen, and the Walking Dead.  He told me that during a recent TV binge he ate an entire family size bag of chips.  He added: "What the hell is my life about?  I ate a bag of chips that were meant for a whole family.  What am I doing?"

French has been keeping a few girls on the go.  He too often lives by advice that his single guy friends give him: "Don't shut any doors."  French has several girls that don't know where they stand with him.  This situation is starting to lose its charm, and he is getting stressed out.

I countered with advice that he gave me back in high school when I couldn't pick, or commit to one girl.  French told me to play a song on the guitar, and imagine what girl I'd most like to hear me performing that song.

I handed him my guitar.  French strummed a few chords then played and sang All I Want is You by U2.  He played it like Edge, and sang it like Bono.  French played the final part of the song with his eyes closed.  French handed me back my guitar and said: "I gotta go to Montreal."

French on Bullying

French and I wandered into the staff room earlier this week.  He'd been booked to work as a substitute at the school where I work.  We took a seat for a bit and listened to a rather intense discussion on bullying.  Most of the teachers were calling for committees to be formed, or to revamp the anti-bullying club, or to teach more core-values.  One teacher even suggested monitoring the student's online activity.

The debate raged back and forth.  It is such a complex issue.  Someone asked French what he thought. He said: "I'd better not say, I want you all to hire me again."  He said this in a joking tone, so he should be okay.

French had an interesting method in dealing with bullies back in high-school.  It wouldn't work anymore, due to the anonymity of the Internet and the advent of zero-tolerance fighting policies.  When someone bullied his good friend and neighbour, Bruce Fish, his first step was to beat the bully up a little.  French called this step "the humbling".  Usually this just involved his uncanny wrestling ability.  French would find the bully and cinch him up in a painful grapple and then "talk sense to him".  There were times when he'd resort to fists too, but that was rare.

Then  he'd move on to the second step: "breaking heads to breaking bread".  French would bring the bully over to Bruce Fish and force them to make-up, and shake hands.  French would hold the bully to a promise to stop bullying anyone.  He'd even check in often with Bruce Fish, any other victims, and the bullies.  Some of the worst bullies become our good friends: Mean Dean and Fat Dog to name two.

This method cleaned up bullying in our high-school, but it wouldn't translate well into a policy.

The Big 4-O

My wife threw a nice little party on Saturday to celebrate my impending 40th birthday.  We enjoyed four kinds of pizza and lots of Beau's Beer.  I really didn't want to do anything. I didn't want any recognition of this so called "big-day".  Somehow I thought if I ignore this birthday it will somehow not happen, but it happened: I'm 40.  Getting older beats the alternative...right?

It was a good time.  After a few beers I even started to at least tolerate all the ribbing.  I was hit hard by all the cliches: the big 4-O, over the hill, middle-age man, mid life crisis, and on and on.  I survived the event, and now can recharge nice and quite, and just contemplate being forty.

Of all the jokes leveled at me one stands out.  French said that I was 4 and O; 4 wins - 0 loses.  I'll take that.

Bruce Fish - Hero

Bruce Fish was out on his rural garbage run and got the chance to play the hero.  A farmhouse on his route was on fire, so he stopped his truck to watch the action.  He noticed that one of the firetrucks maneuvered to get a better angle and better access to an above ground pool.  The back bumper of the truck clipped a big fuel tank (used to fuel up all the farm equipment...tractors et al).

The tank started to leak gas.  Bruce Fish pulled off one of his big rubber boots and stuck it under the leak.  He ran to his truck and got a roll of duct tape.  When he got back his boot was entirely filled with gasoline.  Bruce Fish plugged up the leak, at least temporarily.

After the fire was out the fire fighters noticed Bruce Fish standing by the tank with only one boot on.  He explained what had happened and showed them the boot full of gas.  They were all pretty pleased that he had stopped the leak.  The tank and the leaking fuel was all too close to the flames.

Later that week they had a little ceremony at the township fire-hall.  They gave him a plaque that recognized him as a county hero.  They also presented him with another boot as a photo-op.  I commented that is was a nice gesture.

Bruce Fish replied: "Sure it was a great gesture, but I still need a new pair of boots before my next garbage run".

I was confused.

He started to laugh and held up the pair of boots: "The sunsabitches gave me a right boot!  Now I got two.  I lost a left one at the fire."

Beer

I was hanging out with French tonight, and yes we were having a beer.  He seemed distracted.  I asked him what was up, but kept saying "no" to every question I asked him.

Women? Money? Job Situation? His Parents?...  Just "no".

I shut my mouth (a huge accomplishment for me).  We were just silent, sipping beers and looking at the trees.

Finally he spoke up: "beers".  He continued: "I owe a lot a people a beer, or beers".  French felt that he really needed to get on it and pay his beer debts.  I guess he had promised beers to various people, or felt he had to repay them in some way.

French pulled out a moleskin pad, and started to make a list.  He went on for a while just listing names.

He looked up from his work and said: "Do I owe you a beer?"

"No man we're good."

Old Time Hip

French and I used to buy every Tragically Hip album the day it came out.  We'd then head over to his shed and give it a listen.  Once we went to a mall hours before it opened and stood in line for hours with many other fellow fans.  We wanted to be the first to own the new album.

Back in the shed we'd go through every song.  We'd read the lyrics that were all folded up tight from being in the cassette or CD case.  I'd make comments, but he'd always shush me.  It was like he was absorbing every nuance of sound.  After a few listens we'd discuss the songs, and the album as a whole.  Within a few days he'd have learned how to play them all on his guitar; Sweaty would wander out and sit in on the drums.  I'd do my best to strum and sing along.

Those are the only songs, those ones I learned back then, that I can still play straight from memory.

The Hip dropped a new album yesterday.  I listened to it alone in my car on that long commute to work.